Evan Elder was up on the scorecards but sadly he didn’t get to finish his fight against Nazim Sadykhov after he suffered a gruesome cut along his eyebrow in the third round.
The nasty cut was discovered during an exchange. Referee Mark Smith had to stop the fight immediately while Smith went to the hospital to examine the injury. It didn’t take long for the doctor to realize the cut was far too bad for Elder to continue and the fight was stopped.
UFC President Dana White uploaded a number of graphic images that showed the extent of Elder’s injuries after the breakup.
“I was questioning the stoppage,” White wrote on Instagram. “I will shut the f*** up now.”
WARNING FOR GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW
Thankfully, the cut was quickly stitched up following the fight.
Elder was understandably disappointed with the outcome with the scorecards later revealing that he was up 20-18 from all three judges heading into the final round.
The back-and-forth battle saw Elder consistently get the better of the exchanges with Sadykhov, which allowed him to remain in control for longer stretches of time during the fight.
The cut changed everything with the stoppage coming at just 38 seconds into the third round with Sadykhov earning the victory by TKO after the doctor would not allow Elder to continue.
The win moved Sadykhov to 8-1 in his career but more importantly he earned a victory in his octagon debut after previously appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/18/23605868/dana-white-questioned-stoppage-in-evan-elder-vs-nazim-sadykhov-fight-until-he-saw-the-cut-up-close?rand=96749
